1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing processing apparatus in which a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive material) is subjected to developing processing, and a developing processing method in which the developing processing apparatus can be applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a developing processing method and apparatus is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,355,190 and 5,389,994 in which a processing solution is jetted from jetting holes of a blowoff chamber, which blowoff chamber is disposed on a conveying path of a photosensitive material, toward an emulsion surface of the photosensitive material, and the photosensitive material is subjected to developing processing while being conveyed horizontally, and further, a processing solution in a processing tank is agitated.
In this developing processing method and apparatus, a plurality of blowoff chambers are disposed in one processing tank and conveying rollers are located at both sides of each blowoff chamber. Accordingly, there is a limit to making the apparatus small in size.
Further, in order to obtain desired photographic properties, when a jetting region is extended by making the blowoff chamber larger, the apparatus increases in size. As a countermeasure against the foregoing, when an attempt to make the apparatus small in size is made by decreasing diameters of the conveying rollers which are disposed at both sides of the blowoff chamber, conveying torque decreases, which results in occurrence of jamming.
On the other hand, when the blowoff chambers and the conveying rollers are independently mounted in the processing tank, respective positions in a vertical direction of the apparatus or the direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed are dislocated. Therefore, each time maintenance (for example, cleaning) of the processing tank is carried out, the photographic properties of the photosensitive material change.
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to obtain desired photographic properties and realize a small-size developing processing apparatus.
A first aspect of the present invention is a developing processing apparatus equipped with at least one blowoff chamber having jetting holes from which a processing solution is jetted toward an emulsion surface of a photosensitive material, wherein the one blowoff chamber is disposed in a processing tank, roller sets are located at both sides of the blowoff chamber, the photosensitive material is horizontally conveyed above the blowoff chamber, and positions where the photosensitive material is nipped by the roller sets are located within the processing solution.
The apparatus of the first aspect is a photosensitive material processing apparatus provided to process a photosensitive material and having a processing tank in which a processing solution is filled, and the photosensitive material processing apparatus comprises: at least one blowoff chamber disposed in the processing tank and having jetting holes from which the processing solution is jetted toward an emulsion surface of the photosensitive material; and roller sets located at both sides of the blowoff chamber and conveying the photosensitive material horizontally above the blowoff chamber, wherein positions where the photosensitive material is nipped by the roller sets are located within the processing solution filled in the processing tank.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, developing processing is carried out in such a manner that a processing solution is jetted out from the jetting holes of the blowoff chamber toward the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material.
Only the one blowoff chamber is disposed in the processing tank such as a developing tank or a bleach-fixing tank and the roller sets are disposed at both sides of the blowoff chamber. The photosensitive material is horizontally conveyed above the blowoff chamber by the roller sets. By reducing the number of components of the processing tank as described above, the apparatus can be made in small size.
Further, positions where the photosensitive material is nipped by the roller sets are located within the processing solution, and there is no possibility of the photosensitive material being nipped and conveyed by the roller sets in such a manner that outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers are wet non-uniformly with the processing solution. As a result, non-uniform processing is prevented.
A second aspect of the present invention is structured in such a manner that, in the above-described first aspect, the roller sets are mounted integrally in the processing rack set in the processing tank. Accordingly, there is no possibility of positions where the photosensitive material is nipped by an upstream-side roller set and a downstream-side roller set becoming dislocated and a distance between the roller sets changing thereby.
A third aspect of the present invention is structured in such a manner that, in the above-described first aspect, the blowoff chamber is, together with the roller sets, formed integrally with the processing rack. Accordingly, a positional relationship between the roller sets and the blowoff chamber, and an interval between the photosensitive material nipped and conveyed by the roller sets and a surface of the blowoff chamber 22 from which the processing solution is jetted can be maintained fixedly.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is structured in such a manner that, in the above-described first aspect, a diameter of each of the roller sets is in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm and a dimension of the blowoff chamber in a direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed is in the range of 50 mm to 120 mm. It suffices that, in the present invention, a diameter of a lower roller of the roller set (which lower roller is disposed at the side of the blowoff chamber) is in the above-described range, and respective roller diameters of upper and lower rollers may be the same or different from each other. Further, it is necessary that a roller diameter of the upper roller be greater than or equal-to that of the lower roller.
By setting the diameters of the roller set as described above, necessary torque can be maintained. Accordingly, even a photosensitive material having a large widthwise dimension can be processed without causing jamming. Further, the dimension of the blowoff chamber in the direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed is in the range of 50 mm to 120 mm, and therefore, a sufficient jet agitation effect can be achieved and desired photographic properties can be obtained.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a developing processing method in which a processing solution is jetted toward an emulsion surface of a photosensitive material by a blowoff chamber having jetting holes formed therein, wherein the one blowoff chamber is disposed in a processing tank and the photosensitive material is processed while being horizontally conveyed above the blowoff chamber by roller sets, which are disposed at both sides of the blowoff chamber and are formed in such a manner that positions where the photosensitive material is nipped by the roller sets are located within the processing solution.
Sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth aspects of the present invention are structured in a manner similar to the second to fifth aspects of the present invention in the above-described sixth aspect.